Graduate Program

The University of Notre Dame’s Department of Sociology offers a Ph.D. in Sociology

The graduate program provides all students with a strong foundation in social theory and research methods. Students also develop expertise in specific fields within the discipline. The program’s primary goal is to help students to become outstanding independent scholars and teachers who will make important contributions to a wider body of knowledge.

Faculty teaching and research interests are diverse and cut across the discipline’s primary subfields. The department is especially strong in the sociology of education, religion, family, culture, and social movements/political sociology.

The department also offers a Ph.D. in Sociology and Peace Studies in partnership with Notre Dame’s Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. Graduates are fully credentialed in sociology and acquainted with the research questions and findings of interdisciplinary peace research.

Notre Dame provides a supportive environment for sociological research and graduate training. Students work closely with faculty members who are engaged in cutting edge research and who are leaders and innovators in their fields. The University’s Computing Center makes large-capacity, late-generation networked equipment available to graduate students, for whom several microcomputing labs are also available.

Faculty affiliations with on-campus institutes and research centers provide additional resources for graduate students. These include: